Self-Guided Tours - Wales

Attractions and sites of interest on or close to the routes

• Abbey-cwm-hir
  The ruins of Abbey Cwmhir lie in the secluded valley of the Clywedog brook in a remote and delightfully scenic location typical of those chosen by the Cistercian order.
  
  
• Aberfan
  This old mining village was the scene of a 1966 disaster when a landslip engulfed the village school. Of the 144 villagers killed, 116 were children.
  
  
• Big Pit National Coal Museum
  Big Pit at Blaenafon, built around a real coal mine is one of Britain's leading mining museums.
  
  
• Brecon Beacons National Park
  This National Park contains some of the most spectacular and distinctive upland formations in southern Britain.
  
  
• Brecon Cathedral
  The origins of the Cathedral reach back to a fortification built by the half brother of William the Conqueror after he captured the town in 1094. Inside the embattled walls survives the most unique group of monastic buildings in Wales.
  
  
• Caerleon
  Caerleon is the site of a Roman legionary fortress (it was the headquarters for Legio II Augusta from about 75 to 300 AD) and an iron age hill fort.
  
  
• Cardiff Castle
  Originally built as a fort in the first century AD by the Romans, the castle has had many owners and roles. The Normans built a wooden keep inside the castle in 1000 AD on top of a huge mound surrounded by a moat. A newer stone keep now stands in its place.
  
  
• Castell Coch
  Some five miles to the north of Cardiff this enchanting little castle is a combination of Victorian Gothic fantasy and was created by the brilliantly eccentric architect William Burges for the third Lord Bute, a fellow lover of the medieval and reputedly the richest man in the world.
  
  
• Elan Valley
  At the turn of the 20th century, the face of the Elan Valley in Radnorshire changed for ever as work began on a project to create a series of dams supplying water to Birmingham. The valley with its reservoirs is now one of the country’s best known beauty spots.
  
  
• Forest of Dean
  The Forest of Dean lying between the rivers Wye and Severn, is one of the most distinctive areas of Britain.
  
  
• Goodrich Castle
  Standing high on a rock outcrop above the River Wye, Goodrich Castle is one of the region's most striking ruins. A pale red sandstone keep was constructed in the middle of the 12th century.
  
  
• Hay-on-Wye
  Hay-on-Wye often described as "the town of books" is a magnet for bibliophiles, boasting around thirty bookshops. The bookshops for which the town is now famous are a relatively recent innovation. The name most closely associated with the book trade in Hay-on-Wye is that of Richard George William Pitt Booth, self-proclaimed King of Hay.
  
  
• Heart of Wales Railway
  Tranquil villages and picturesque Victorian spa towns are dotted along one of the most scenic lines in the United Kingdom.
  
  
• Judges Lodgings (Presteigne)
  Presteigne was once the legal and administrative centre of the former county of Radnorshire. The commodious and elegant apartments built for the became a museum after extensive and painstaking restoration. It has a marvellous upstairs, downstairs feel to it, with kitchens, bedrooms as well as the unique Court Room to explore.
  
  
• Llandaff Cathedral
  Unlike most Welsh churches, Llandaff is named not after a saint, but after the area in which it is located. Situated on one of the oldest Christian sites in the British Isles, the cathedral was begun in the l2th century.
  
  
• Llanthony Priory
  The priory was one of the earliest houses of Augustinian canons to be founded in Britain, and is one of only a handful in Wales. It is located in a wild and beautiful setting, far up the Vale of Ewyas in the Black Mountains.
  
  
• Millennium Stadium
  Situated among the shops in Cardiff city centre, the Millennium Stadium is a glittering jewel in the crown of Cardiff. This is the home of Welsh rugby, Wales' national sport and a game loved the width and breadth of the country.
  
  
• Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal
  This is one of the most scenic canal routes in Britain. Running for 32 miles through idyllic scenery, the canal was built between 1797 and 1812 to link Brecon with Newport and the Severn Estuary.
  
  
• Museum of Welsh Life
  The Museum of Welsh Life is presents the history and culture of Wales showing how the people of Wales lived, worked and spent their leisure time over the last five hundred years.
  
  
• National Cycle Museum
  Many of the bicycles on view at the Llandrindod Wells museum were collected by Tom Norton who started his business in Llandrindod in 1898 dealing in cycles and sports equipment.
  
  
• Nelson Museum
  This Monmouth museum has one of the world’s best collections about Britain’s most famous admiral, and even includes his fake glass eye!
  
  
• Newport Transporter Bridge
  The Newport Transporter Bridge, built in 1906, spans the River Usk. Its historic importance stems from its very unusual design – a transporter bridge is a type of movable bridge that carries a segment of roadway across a river. There are only seven transporter bridges in the world.
  
  
• Offas Dyke
  This massive linear earthwork, roughly following some of the current border between England and Wales. Much of the earthwork is be attributed to Offa, King of Mercia from 757-796. He had it built as a defensive border between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys.
  
  
• Symond’s Yat
  Yat Rock is one of the most well known view points in the Wye Valley. It is a popular place for bird watchers as the Peregrine falcon nests in the surrounding cliffs.
  
  
• Taff Trail
  Long distance walking/cycling trail from Cardiff to Brecon
  
  
• Tintern Abbey
  The Cistercian abbey of Tintern is one of the greatest monastic ruins of Wales. It has been immortalized in one of Wordsworth’s poems.
  
  
• Vale of Ewyas
  The Vale of Ewyas is a hidden gem. Lying just a few miles to the north of Abergavenny it follows the course of the River Honddu.

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